LAW FIRM’S RALLY KEEPS THE FUNDRAISING ROLLING FOR LOCAL CHARITIES

Cars, costumes and challenges came together in a rally taking staff from Worcester and Gloucester law firm Harrison Clark Rickerbys across the country and into Europe to raise money for local charities, bringing fundraising to more than £50,000.

The Gumball Rally saw 19 teams taking part from across the firm performing challenges ranging from a group “flossing” performance and creating a human pyramid to taking a picture of the white cliffs of Dover along the way.

Heading to France and Belgium, each team had a theme for car and costumes –

Housebuilder supports Banbury junior hockey club

A junior hockey club in Banbury has received a funding boost from a local housebuilder.

Banbury Hockey Club, which plays its home games at North Oxford Academy off Warwick Road, received a donation of £900 from Ashberry Homes.

The money will help to provide new kits for the U14s and U16s teams.

The housebuilder is building a development of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes at Cherry Fields, off Southam Road in Banbury.

from Scooby Doo and the Mystery Machine to Mario Kart, Toy Story, the Flintstones and pirates. The teams travelled in costume throughout.

The law firm’s Foundation has raised and distributed close to £250,000 to charities since it was set up. Harrison Clark Rickerbys Partner Richard Wilkey,

Brunsdon Financial’s Lisa on the run again

Fresh from her Barcelona Ironman challenge last October, in which Lisa Morman completed the gruelling 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle ride and 26.2 mile marathon in 12 hours, 32 minutes, the Financial Adviser from Gloucester-based Brunsdon Financial headed off again before Christmas.

A team of eight, including Lisa, took on the even more daunting ‘Run for Love’ challenge in The Azores, where around 100 athletes competed.

The world’s toughest island race is a charity event on behalf of the TRIBE Freedom Foundation which is raising more than £250,000 to support victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. The team ran more than 270 kilometres in six days, on one day said: “The rally was great fun. A lot of work went into its organisation and staff really entered into the spirit of it all; performing Baby Shark outside a house with a shark in its roof, recreating a scene from Titanic on the ferry and generally being ready to look silly for a seriously good cause.

“The Foundation trustees will decide how the money raised will be distributed – we want to make sure it has maximum impact.” alone doing more than 80 kilometres, in the process climbing the equivalent of one and a half times the height of Mount Everest, and wild camping while out on the run.

Gloucester’s Brunsdon’s Heartfelt Charitable Foundation weighed in with £500 sponsorship and the team secured an incredible £10,350 in sponsorship.

Redditch businessman heads for South Pole on charity challenge

Redditch businessman Dean Attwell is undertaking the second biggest charity challenge of his life – to reach the South Pole.

Dean, the Group Chief Executive of Redditch-based business Oakland International, is self-funding his polar expedition to ensure that all money raised will go directly to support children’s charity Molly Olly’s Wishes.

After successfully completing a North Pole challenge in 2017, Dean has been training with specialist endurance coaches at Forder PT. The challenge begins with a 14-hour flight to Punta Arenas with the rest of his expedition group where they check kit, review the expedition procedure and undertake final preparations before flying on to Antarctica.

Molly Olly’s Wishes Co-founder and Trustee Rachel Ollerenshaw, said: “The team at Molly Olly’s Wishes are extremely grateful to Dean and everyone at Oakland for their support. Dean and the team have only recently been introduced to the charity but have got stuck in straight away.”

The charity, based in Warwick, was founded by Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw following the death of their daughter Molly who was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour.

Dean added: “We’ll be skiing between six to10 hours a day at an altitude of approximately 3,100 metres before we finally arrive at the South Pole on January 14.”

Amy’s thank-you marathon for Headway

Oxford-based Shaw Gibbs junior accountant Amy Gordon is running the London Marathon in 2020 to raise awareness and money for brain injury charity Headway Oxfordshire.

Last January Amy was admitted to hospital with a bad ear infection. Doctors hoped they could clear up the infection with a round of strong intravenous antibiotics. Three weeks and several near-death experiences later, an MRI scan showed that the infection had spread to Amy’s brain. She was rushed to Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge for emergency brain surgery but has been left with the lasting effects of damage to both her brain and ear.

Last July Amy found the Headway Oxfordshire website. The charity works with brain injured people and their carers to help their rehabilitation. It also provides activities and services that complement formal rehabilitation, including a subsidised transport service, socialisation and peer support.

Amy says: “My brain infection very nearly killed me. Since I came out of hospital in February, Headway has helped me get as much of my pre-brain injury life back as possible. I am running the marathon to thank them for their continued support and to raise as much money as possible so they can support even more brain injury survivors.”

Sharelle Holdsworth, Marketing and Events Officer at Headway Oxfordshire, added: “Last year, 3,789 people in Oxfordshire were admitted to hospital with a brain injury. This is a 43 per cent increase in the number of hospital admissions over the past 10 years, so there has never been such an urgent need for our support services.”

Hcr Welcomes Indian Partners With English Hospitality

From a trip in a Morgan to lunch on The Promenade in Cheltenham, Harrison Clark Rickerbys welcomed counterparts from the India Law Alliance when they visited the firm’s Cheltenham and Worcester offices.

The firms announced their collaboration late last year, and partners Anupam Dighe and Kamlesh Kharade came to the UK to meet new colleagues. As well as touring the Morgan factory and enjoying the most English of pastimes, a cream tea on the Malvern Hills, they visited the firm’s Cheltenham office and lunched with partners before heading off to visit the Black Country Museum.

The firms have come together to meet the needs of their clients in the UKIndia corridor. Thanking the firm for its hospitality, Anupam Dighe said: “I

“I am looking forward to using the strengths of HCR and ILA for a mutually beneficial association. We are looking forward to your visit to India soon” am looking forward to using the strengths of HCR and ILA for a mutually beneficial association. We are looking forward to your visit to India soon.”

Nicolas Groffman, Head of International at HCR, said “It was great to welcome our friends Anupam and Kamlesh and give them the chance to meet people here as well as discussing what we can offer clients because of the collaboration.”

Midlands accountants see turnover soar

A Midlands accountancy firm has dramatically exceeded its own growth projections with an impressive surge in turnover.

Prime Accountants Group, which has offices in Coventry, Birmingham and Solihull, has seen turnover soar from £4 million to £7 million in just three years.

These figures are two years ahead of Prime’s target for growth, which had projected the accountancy firm would hit £7 million in 2021.

Managing Director Kevin Johns said the remarkable success was the result of a strategic investment in the business, along with recruiting – and often retaining – top quality staff.

“This significant growth has come from a two-pronged approach of investing both in the business and in talented new personnel,” he said.

The company now employs more than 100 people.

Prime is now one of the largest independent accountancy firms in the region and Kevin is predicting a continued upward curve for the business.

Gateley Legal advises on management buy out of ‘House of Rock’

Reading-based law firm Gateley Legal has advised YFM Equity Partners on the financing of a management buyout of Professional Music Technology, which styles itself the House of Rock.

Professional Music Technology, founded 28 years ago by Simon Gilson and Terry Hope, is the UK’s leading multi-channel retailer of musical instrument and professional audio products.

The business operates both online and through 15 stores across the UK including in Oxford, Bristol and

Birmingham and employs more than 200 staff, generating revenues in excess of £40 million per annum.

Sarah Souter, a senior associate for Gateley Legal’s corporate team, said: “We are pleased to have played our part in this management buyout.

“Following years of hard work from the management team, this news serves to further strengthen PMT’s market-leading position by continuing to finance the company’s growth strategy.”

Jamie Roberts of YFM said: “The founders of Professional Music Technology have done a great job in building the brand in a growing niche. They are bucking the high street trend with a plan to open new stores, but we also see a huge opportunity to invest in its existing online presence to continue the company’s impressive growth.”